WWE ‘very strongly under the impression’ Mercedes Mone won’t wrestle for AEW

WWE does not believe the former Sasha Banks is headed to AEW. 

Banks debuted as Mercedes Mone for NJPW at Wrestle Kingdom 17 on Wednesday and was rumored to be Saraya’s partner on AEW Dynamite next week in Los Angeles. However, on this week’s Dynamite, it was revealed that Toni Storm will be Saraya’s partner. 

Our own Dave Meltzer and Bryan Alvarez addressed Mercedes’ situation on Wednesday’s edition of Wrestling Observer Radio. Meltzer said that AEW felt they had to announce Saraya’s partner this week because fans believed it would be Mercedes. 

Meltzer said: 

That’s why they had to announce somebody this week because they knew it was really screwed because everybody was thinking it was her and it’s not her.

Alvarez later asked Meltzer if it’s possible that Mercedes won’t be in the match on Dynamite next week but is still on her way to AEW.

Meltzer responded: 

Anything is possible. I also know from WWE that they, basically, that they are very strongly under the impression that she will not wrestle for AEW. They think she is coming back [to WWE] at some point, she’ll get this out of her system, she’ll do her New Japan matches, because she’s only contracted for a couple of matches, and then come back. But if she’s going to AEW, she’s got to sign for three years minimum because why even bother if she’s going to go right back? For AEW, it would be really stupid to put her on TV if she’s going to go back in six months.

He would later add that “over in Japan, everybody was pretty much saying that this is just a New Japan deal and it’s not an AEW deal.”